Attending NIME for the first time can be an overwhelming experience. Beginners may find it difficult to make sense of the vast array of topics presented during the busy program of talks and posters, or appreciate the significance of the wide variety of demos and concerts. This half-day tutorial is intended to provide a general and gentle introduction to the theory and practice of the design of interactive systems for music creation and performance. Our target audience consists of newcomers to the field who would like to start research projects, as well as interested students, people from other fields and members of the public with a general interest in the potential of NIME. We aim to give our audience an entry point to the theory and practice of musical interface design by drawing on case studies from previous years of the conference. Past attendees of the tutorial have told us that they gained a helpful perspective that helped them to increase their understanding and appreciation of their first NIME.

Michael Lyons is a professor of Image Arts and Science at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. His interest in experimental music dates to childhood backyard percussive improvisations, which were not consistently appreciated by the neighbours. As a teenager, Michael studied classical... Read More →